They must also convince the players’ union that the data produced by these machines is in everyone’s best interest.

Per Grantland:

The NBA is putting its own money into the study of wearable GPS devices, with the likely end goal of outfitting players during games, according to several league sources. The league is funding a study, at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, of products from two leading device-makers: Catapult and STATSports. […] The league declined comment on the study. Most teams already use the gadgets during practices, and Catapult alone expects to have about 20 NBA team clients by the start of the 2015-16 season. The Fort Wayne Mad Ants wore Catapult monitors during D-League games last season in an obvious trial run for potential use at the parent league.

Several GMs and other team higher-ups have privately pushed for in-game use, but they understand the league has to collectively bargain that kind of step with the players’ union. Team executives want to know as much as they can about player health, and also whether guys are going as hard as they can during games.

“My greatest concern is how some of this information might be leaked or used in contract negotiations,” says Michele Roberts, executive director of the players’ union. Roberts did not know about the Mayo Clinic study but says she supports continued research into wearables. […] The union had the same reservations about SportVU camera data, which tracks running speed, distance, and player location during games. The league outfitted all 29 arenas with SportVU cameras in fall 2013, and every team now has access to the same trove of camera data on every player.

The union wants to take a closer look at the Sixers’ maneuvering around the collective bargaining agreement:

The NBPA told agents in a meeting on Monday that it will actively look into the 76ers’ handling of the CBA, such as salary distributions, the cap floor and contract format loopholes. For the NBPA, Philadelphia’s approach over the past several seasons may not be a technical violation of collective bargaining as much as it is one of the spirit of negotiating under the CBA.

An NBPA spokesperson confirmed Tuesday the union’s plan to pursue the 76ers’ issue if there is a violation found.

Over the past two seasons, the 76ers have compiled a 37-127 record, staying below the 90 percent salary floor for majority of the campaigns before late season signings or trades.

Roberts is gearing up for a looming labor war with team owners – both sides can opt out of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement as of Dec. 15, 2016 – and says the idea of limiting player salaries is offensive to her.

Per Sheridan Hoops:

What are your thoughts on the age limit, restricting the age someone can come into the NBA to 19, instead of 18, as it once was.

MR: “The word that is troubling to me, generally speaking, is ‘restriction.’ My DNA is offended by the notion that someone should not be able to make a living because he needs to have been alive a year longer. That’s Michele, not Michele NBPA executive director.” […] “I know what it means to want to be able to make a living and support your family. (Emmanuel Mudiay) can’t play in his country because he’s not old enough. That makes no sense to me.”

Your thoughts on the max salary?

MR: “I have difficulty with rules that suggest that for some reason, in this space, we are not going to allow you to do what is ordinarily allowed in every other aspect of American life – you can work and get compensated at the level that someone thinks you’re worth being compensated at. And for all the reasons that it might be reasonable, it still – as a base – the premise offends me. So for me, there needs to be a justification that is substantial. And I’m told that in large part it’s because there’s an inability on the part of some owners to control their check-writing habits. So that’s where I am. Now, there’s a history that led up to max contracts, and I’m not going to pretend it’s not significant. But if you ask me off the cuff, that’s my response.”

Per CBS Sports: “Calling LeBron James ‘misinformed’ about the state of the National Basketball Players Association, executive committee member Jerry Stackhouse said on Monday that the union ‘is in a good place’ and ‘moving in the right direction.’ … ‘He’s the best player in the game right now and we want the entire league to be involved,’ Stackhouse said in a phone interview while in New York on union and other business. ‘But he needs to be informed in speaking on our union business.’ […]

Stackhouse, one of seven executive committee members elected at All-Star weekend in Houston this past February — when longtime executive director Billy Hunter was ousted — said James’ comments felt like a ‘kick in the stomach.’ … ‘I don’t think he’s had any dialogue with anybody since the All-Star break, but it is what it is,’ Stackhouse said. ‘To make that statement about where we are as a union right now, he was misinformed.’ Stackhouse, 38, an 18-year veteran who does not have a contract for next season, said he does not plan to run for president when the NBPA convenes Aug. 21 in Las Vegas for its summer meeting.

The union’s first summer meeting since Hunter was ousted over concerns about nepotism and conflicts of interest also will include the announcement of the executive committee’s selection of a search firm to find Hunter’s replacement, Stackhouse said.

James is one of many players who will not be attending the crucial meeting due to other offseason obligations. Since the executive committee sent a memo to the union membership about the timing of the meeting to elect a new president and discuss how Hunter’s successor will be chosen, numerous players have scheduled conflicting informal team workouts and won’t be able to attend.

‘I would’ve liked [James] to come to the meeting next week and hear it and then voice his opinion,’ Stackhouse said. One of key criticisms of union governance in a January report on Hunter’s tenure by the Paul-Weiss law firm was a lack of involvement among the union membership. ‘It hasn’t been a priority,’ Stackhouse said. ‘We can’t wait until collective bargaining to get engaged in the business of basketball.'”

As he threatened to do when he was ousted, Billy Hunter, the disgraced former head of the NBA Players Association, has filed a lawsuit. In the legal filing, Hunter alleges that union president Derek Fisher colluded with team owners during the 2011 lockout, for his benefit and that of certain players and Fisher’s own publicist. Per the AP and CBS Sports: “Billy Hunter contends that Fisher undermined Hunter’s efforts to make an agreement and interfered with his job as executive director. Filed Thursday in California Superior Court, the suit also names the National Basketball Players Association and Jamie Wior, Fisher’s publicist. It says Fisher and Wior worked after the lockout ended ‘to terminate his employment without cause and in violation of his contract.’ Hunter was ousted in February following an investigation into his business practices. […] “It’s unfortunate that I must take this action against an organization where I had the privilege of working with many dedicated associates over 17 years,’ Hunter said in a statement. ‘I’m proud of our record of achievement on behalf of players during my tenure as Executive Director and will continue to stand up for their interests. But I cannot let stand attacks on my character or accept what has been done.'”

Federal prosecutors have laid charges on two people from Prim Capital, the firm that once employed former NBA union chief Billy Hunter’s son. The feds allege that Prim illegally obtained $3 million in fees over five years from the Players Association. Per the NY Daily News: “Charges were filed by the U.S. Attorneys office in Manhattan against Joseph Lombardo and Carolyn Kaufman of Cleveland-based Prim Capital Corporation. The pair faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on the count charging obstruction of justice, as well as a maximum fine of $250,000. They were arrested at their Ohio residences and appeared in federal court in Cleveland. They will appear in Manhattan federal court next Thursday. Neither Hunter, 70, who was fired for questionable business practices last February after leading the union for 17 years, nor his son, Todd Hunter, were named in the charges. The feds and other authorities began looking into Prim’s financial dealings with the NBA’s union after the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison released a scathing review of Hunter’s business dealings this past January. In its capacity as the primary outside investment firm for the players from 2001-2013, Prim and the union entered into a five-year contract deal, at $602,000 per year in 2011. The contract contained a highly-unusual provision that it could not be cancelled for any reason by the NBAPA and was allegedly signed by Gary Hall, the former NBAPA general counsel who died in March, 2011. But the investigation revealed that the signature of Hall was not authentic, while also finding that the signature of one other NBAPA employee, who was not identified, was also forged. The probe revealed that Lombardo, 72, of Gates Mills, Ohio, arranged for the creation of a signature stamp, capable of stamping “Gary A. Hall,” and used the stamp to falsify Hall’s signature months after his death. Billy Hunter has said that he knew nothing of the $3 million contract and did not sign the document. In its investigation, the U.S. Attorney and two other investigative arms of the U.S. Department of Labor also found that Hunter’s signature was not on the contract.”

It appears that the end has come for Billy Hunter. His disastrous reign at the NBA Players Association looks to be over, this despite desperate efforts to hang on to the top job. Yahoo! Sports reports that the union has placed Hunter on an indefinite leave of absence today: “Hunter was informed of the decision on Friday morning, and it is the first step in a process led by NBPA president Derek Fisher to have Hunter removed as executive director, sources said. Union general counsel Ron Klempner has taken over as interim executive director. […] The union’s leadership has retained outside counsel to help it through the suspension of Hunter, and plans to push the membership to oust Hunter, sources said. In a memo sent to players on Friday morning, Fisher said: ‘Unfortunately, it appears that Union management has lost sight of the NBPA’s only task, to serve the best interests of their membership. This is the reason I called for a review almost a year ago. The findings of that review confirm this unfortunate truth and we must now move forward as Players. Immediate change is necessary and I, along with the Committee Members, are committed to driving the process as difficult as it may be.'”

The embattled Billy Hunter, Executive Director of the NBA Players Association, has seen better days. With his leadership under constant attack — from players, powerful agents, the media and fans — Hunter responded by firing members of his own family from their union gigs. The drastic move comes after multiple reports accused Billy Hunter of nepotism and questioned some of the spending within the organization. Reports Bloomberg: “The moves against personnel including his daughter and daughter-in-law were disclosed in a letter from Hunter to members of a special committee of players established prior to the investigation by the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison […] The New York-based union paid almost $4.8 million to Hunter’s family members and their professional firms since 2001, according to public records. Hunter makes $3 million a year as union chief. ‘Hopefully this decision will alleviate any concerns raised by their employment,’ Hunter wrote in the letter. ‘These measures are being taken although the report noted that both of them were highly qualified, not overpaid, and were contributing members of the NBPA staff.’ Robyn Hunter, the director’s daughter, ceased working at the union on Jan. 25, according to the letter. Megan Inaba, his daughter-in-law and director of special events and sponsorships, will leave on Feb. 17 after the National Basketball Association’s All-Star weekend. Hunter, 70, also secured a letter of resignation from Prim Capital, which employs his son, Todd. […] The changes come about two weeks after the independent investigation of the union’s business practices found that Hunter, the organization’s leader since 1996, put personal interests ahead of the association, failed to manage conflicts of interest, and didn’t have proper approval for his five-year, $15 million contract as director. The investigation by Paul, Weiss also concluded that Hunter didn’t do anything illegal. It said players should consider a change in leadership. Hunter’s letter to the committee, comprised of James Jones of the Miami Heat, Matt Bonner of the San Antonio Spurs, Anthony Tolliver of the Atlanta Hawks and Matt Carroll and Etan Thomas, who aren’t currently on rosters, also said the union would adopt policies related to conflicts of interest, hiring and document retention.”

The latest in the ongoing disaster that is otherwise known as the NBA Players Association is a bombshell from Yahoo! Sports today, comprehensively alleging that Billy Hunter wanted to invest union funds into a bank with deep ties to his son, Todd. Yikes: “On the weekend of the 2009 All-Star Game in Phoenix, Pat Garrity, the treasurer of the National Basketball Players Association, walked into a conference room inside the Sheraton Phoenix determined to make one final stand in his decade of service to the union. Garrity had warned peers and NBPA executive director Billy Hunter prior to the ’09 executive committee meeting that he planned to challenge Hunter on business practices, and several players purposely steered clear of the confrontational scene. In the aftermath of the U.S. banking crisis in 2008, Garrity had grown increasingly suspicious of an investment bank project that Hunter had been pitching to the executive committee and player representatives. For Garrity and some peers in the NBPA, the investment made no sense. Hunter had sought a $7 million to $9 million investment from the union into Interstate Net Bank of Cherry Hill, N.J., a financial institution that federal and state banking regulators had slapped with debilitating ‘cease-and-desist’ orders, sources said. Garrity discovered information online that left him feeling obligated to confront Billy Hunter: Hunter’s son, Todd, had a seat on the board of directors of Interstate Net Bank. Todd Hunter is also a vice president for Prim Capital, which has a consulting contract with the NBPA that has paid the company in excess of $2.5 million since 2006, according to U.S. Department of Labor filings. ‘Why didn’t you disclose any of this?’ Garrity asked Hunter several times at the 2009 meeting, witnesses said. When reached by phone, Garrity confirmed the description of events that sources provided. He declined to further comment. Hunter declined comment for this story through a union spokesman. At the meeting, Hunter left the talking to longtime ally and NBPA chief counsel, Gary Hall, and Hall wasn’t offering answers. Garrity and Hall screamed back and forth, and Garrity’s questions weren’t addressed, witnesses said. Finally, witnesses said, Hall – who died on May 11, 2011 – told Garrity that he was a retired player, no longer welcome on the executive committee, and that security would be called to remove him unless he left on his own. With executive committee members Keyon Dooling and Adonal Foyle appearing uncomfortable – and NBPA president Derek Fisher refusing to use his authority to demand Garrity be allowed to speak over Hall’s yelling – Garrity left the room, left the NBPA and never returned again.”

We’ve already seen LeBron James, teammate Dwyane Wade and the rest of the Miami Heat show support for the family of the slain teenager Trayvon Martin. And now, the NBA Players Association takes the unexpected step of releasing a statement about the killing: “The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) offers its condolences to the family and loved ones of Trayvon Martin in their time of need. The NBPA is saddened and horrified by the tragic murder of Mr. Martin and joins in the chorus of calls from across the nation for the prompt arrest of George Zimmerman. The reported facts surrounding Mr. Zimmerman’s actions indicate a callous disregard for Mr. Martin’s young life and necessitate that he stand trial. The NBPA also calls for the permanent resignation of Sanford Chief of Police Bill Lee and a full review of the Sanford Police Department, for dereliction of duty and racial bias in this matter and others. Their silence in the face of this injustice is reprehensible and they cannot be trusted to safe guard the citizens of the Sanford community equally. The NBPA seeks to ensure that Trayvon Martin’s murder not go unpunished and the elimination of the injustices suffered by the innocent.”

Yesterday, the NBA lockout took a turn for the worse, with David Stern accusing the players of “bad-faith bargaining,” Today, the situation hit an even lower point, as the NBA announced it is filing a lawsuit against the NBPA for “unfair labor practices” with the National Labor Relations Board, a move that could potentially set back negotiations for weeks, if not months. Below is the full press release:

The NBA filed two claims today against the National Basketball Players Association: an unfair labor practice charge before the National Labor Relations Board, and a lawsuit in federal district court in New York. The unfair labor practice charge asserts that the Players Association has failed to bargain in good faith by virtue of its unlawful threats to commence a sham “decertification” and an antitrust lawsuit challenging the NBA’s lockout. The federal lawsuit seeks to establish, among other things, that the NBA’s lockout does not violate federal antitrust laws and that if the Players Association’s “decertification” were found to be lawful, all existing player contracts would become void and unenforceable.

“These claims were filed in an effort to eliminate the use of impermissible pressure tactics by the union which are impeding the parties’ ability to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement,” said NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Adam Silver. “For the parties to reach agreement on a new CBA, the union must commit to the collective bargaining process fully and in good faith.”

You often hear of NBAers saying they’re much better prepared for a work stoppage this time around (as opposed to the last time, in 1998-’99), which is mainly due to the Players Association having driven home the threat of a lockout for a number of years. From the Times-Picayune: “But what of players such as forward Jason Smith, who last season played with the Hornets for just more than $3 million and finds himself now an unrestricted free agent with no prospect of employment until a new collective bargaining agreement can be approved and teams can once again go about the business of basketball? ‘You just have to be as prepared as possible,’ Smith said. ‘And I think a lot of people in the NBA are prepared, myself being one of them. Being prepared to maybe forego no NBA season next year. You have to be prepared financially, prepared to continue to stay in shape and continue to work in the offseason and be prepared for something to happen at any time. I’ve just basically saved for a rainy day. Just manage your finances, your budget, to make sure you cut back on unneeded things. And just be prepared in case the lockout does go on for a long time, and just stay optimistic about it.’ Smith said he has been warned about the lockout possibility since he came into the league in 2007. ‘It’s kind of progressive,’ Smith said.’ At first it was ‘be prepared for a lockout.’ Then ‘there is going to be a lockout.’ Then ‘it could be a long lockout.’ It’s basically just prepare for the worst, expect the best.'”

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/uncategorized/nba-players-association-has-warned-players-of-lockout-since-2007/feed/6David Stern: Time to Get to Work on New CBAhttp://www.slamonline.com/nba/david-stern-time-to-get-to-work-on-new-cba/
http://www.slamonline.com/nba/david-stern-time-to-get-to-work-on-new-cba/#respondSun, 20 Feb 2011 16:00:51 +0000http://www.slamonline.com/online/?p=114260

By now you should have read our breakdown of last night’s David Stern press conference. If you haven’t, go check it now. For your convenience, courtesy of Yahoo!, here’s a litte more of what Stern had to say about the Collective Bargaining Agreement: “NBA Commissioner David Stern said Saturday ‘it’s time to start negotiating’ a new collective bargaining agreement and get rid of the rhetoric. And with the deadline approaching, he thinks that’s being done. ‘I think we have excised it,’ he said during his annual All-Star press conference. Not entirely, though. Shortly after he said the players largely agreed with the league’s financial figures, the union said it still disagreed. Stern said the league and the players’ association realize the importance of agreeing to a deal before the expiration of the current one on June 30, adding that both sides understand from the work stoppage of 1998 how devastating a lockout could be. ‘We both have the capacity to shut down the league,’ he said. ‘There’s no magic that’s going to keep this league operating if we don’t make a deal.’ The sides met Friday and agreed to hold more talks in smaller groups over the next few months.”